The University System of Maryland's Board of Regents made the announcement Wednesday morning after a six-month search. Schmoke will take the new position starting in July.

Schmoke was the mayor of Baltimore from 1987 to 1999. He is currently the interim provost and general counsel at Howard University. He served as the dean of that university's law school from 2003-2012.

"Kurt Schmoke has a wealth of higher education, legal, public policy and community service experience that will serve the University of Baltimore and the University System of Maryland extremely well in the years ahead," Board of Regents Chairman James Shea said in a news release. "With his knowledge of the city of Baltimore and the surrounding region, he will be able to have an immediate impact on enhancing opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the city."

Schmoke said he's honored to start his new job and is humbled by the appointment.

"Wow, I feel like the person who just won, someone who just won the Academy Award. I thank the academy and I thank so many others," Schmoke said. "I've been involved in a lot of different activities, including my background in politics, which I think will be of help to the University of Baltimore."

Schmoke's background in politics is one of the reasons why some members of the university's student body believe Schmoke is the right choice to the lead the downtown campus.

"I'm excited. I'm excited to see what he does with UB. I think it's going to be a great experience for him as well as for the university," said UB student Solomon Scott.

"He was the first African-American mayor in Baltimore and to have that reputation here at the University of Baltimore, I know that we will benefit greatly from it," said UB student Tkeyah Lake.

Besides politics, the former mayor brings more than a decade of experience in higher education.

"I'm looking forward to (taking) some of the lessons I've learned in the administration at Howard University and bringing that to the University of Baltimore and just looking forward to a brighter future," Schmoke said.

Schmoke will succeed Robert Bogomolny, who has served as UB's president since August 2002 and announced his retirement in September.

During Bogomolny's tenure, the university has experienced a 32.8 percent growth in enrollment, launched 31 new academic programs, brought $275 million in capital investment to midtown Baltimore and increased the square footage of the campus by 50 percent.

Meanwhile, the chancellor of the University System of Maryland has announced he's stepping down. Chancellor William Kirwan said Tuesday that he will resign after more than 50 years in public higher education.

Kirwan became the chancellor of the USM in 2002 after serving as president of the Ohio State University and the University of Maryland, College Park.

Kirwan said he'll stay on the job until a national search finds his successor.

NEW TONIGHT, THE UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE HAS JUST NAMED A NEW PRESIDENT AND HE IS A VERY FAMILIAR FACE TO THE CITY. KURT SCHMOKE. EVERYBODY REMEMBERS KURT SCHMOKE , BALTIMORE'S MARRIAGE DURING THE 1980'S AND EARLY 1990'S? -- BALTIMORE'S MAYOR DURING THE 1980'S AND EARLY 1990'S? KURT SCHMOKE LEFT POLITICS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION. NOW HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE -- OF MARYLAND. TIM TOOTEN. HE HAS SERVED A NUMBER OF POSITIONS INCLUDING THE DEAN OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL -- THAT IS OVER IN BC -- BUT NOW HE IS HEADING -- OVER IN D.C. -- BUT NOW HE IS HEADING HOME. IT WAS A HOMECOMING FOR THE FORMER BALTIMORE MAYOR. THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME DURING A MORNING PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE STUDENT CENTER. PLEASE WELCOME THE NEXT PRESIDENT, KURT SCHMOKE. HE SAYS HE IS HUMBLED BY THE APPOINTMENT. I FEEL LIKE I WON THE ACADEMY AWARD. [LAUGHTER] I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE ACADEMY AND SO MANY OTHERS. SCHMOKE SPENT MOST OF HIS YEAR IN BALTIMORE POLITICS. HE IS TAKING OVER A SCHOOL WITH MORE THAN 6000 STUDENTS. I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING MY BACKGROUND IN POLITICS, WHICH I THINK WILL BE A HELP TO THE UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE. THAT IS WHY SOME MEMBERS OF UB'S STUDENT BODY BELIEVE SCHMOKE IS THE RIGHT CHOICE. I THINK THIS WILL BE GREAT FOR HIM AND FOR THE UNIVERSITY. HE WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAYOR IN BALTIMORE AND TO HAVE THAT REPUTATION HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE, I KNOW WE WILL BENEFIT GREATLY FROM IT. BESIDES POLITICS, HE BRINGS A DECADE OF EXPERIENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO USING SOME OF THE LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED IN THE ADMINISTRATION AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY, BRINGING THAT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE AND LOOKING FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE. SCHMOKE'S FIRST POINT OF BUSINESS IS TO MAKE SURE HE IS ADDRESSED ON A FIRST NAME BASIS. MY NAME IS KURT. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU CALL ME KURT.